Through mythological, theological, and scientific symbolism, this body of work explores livestock production in a series of five woodcutprints. These images use traditional materials and historical sources of moral guidance to explore contemporary industrial farming and its ethical implications. In this series, I aim to address the dichotomy of cattle production in Alberta- an industry that feeds a huge population of people and the fuels our economy, but at the loss of life and possible suffering of individual beings and the greater environment. The images themselves are printed onto animal skin parchment, which references the original manuscripts many of my research sources. This choice also situates my work and me as consumers of animal products. From this position, I wish to discuss the issue not from a “moral high ground”, rather as another individual also grappling with the ethical dilemmas at hand. These pieces are neither pro nor anti-beef, rather, aim to explore the history and moral grey areas of our complex relationship with livestock.
Auðhumbla and the Auroch
Woodcut on calfskin parchment, 2019
Woodcut on calfskin parchment, 2019
Inheriting the Garden
Woodcut on calfskin parchment, 2019
Woodcut on calfskin parchment, 2019
Unwilling Martyr
Woodcut on deerskin parchment, 2019
Woodcut on deerskin parchment, 2019
Danse Macabre
Woodcut on calfskin parchment, 2019
Woodcut on calfskin parchment, 2019
Flesh of a Nation
Woodcut on calfskin parchment, 2019
Woodcut on calfskin parchment, 2019
